Invited to playgroup by another mum - now realise it's evangelical christian, not me at all!

[SqueezyB]

I got chatting to another mum at a local toddler art group today after our DDs were playing together. We've not been in the area long so don't know many people, and she was telling me about a lovely playgroup she goes to, and invited us to go along with her and her little girl next week. Great, I thought, made a new mummy friend!

I just looked it up online to see where it is, it turns out it's at quite an evangelical christian church, and it describes itself as a christian playgroup with fun christian songs for the kids!?

Nothing against religion, but I am a lapsed catholic and not religious at all, nor do I want to bring up my kids to be religious... should I text this other mum and make some excuse and not go?? But on the other hand she was lovely and I could do with some new mummy friends, I just won't feel comfortable if it all starts getting a bit Jesus...

What would you do?

My best friend is a Christian and I'm not. When our youngest DCs were small we used to go together to her church toddlers' group because she didn't have a car. I never regretted it; there were a few toddler-friendly songs and prayers but it wasn't the main focus of the get-together which had the usual toys, playdough etc. I seem to remember some very beautiful bible-based picture books with little jigsaws in - I didn't mind that either, it's just another myth after all and the Ark story and the Nativity etc are rather lovely and part of our heritage-legends even if one doesn't believe a literal word of it.

I'd definitely give it a go, don't turn down a nice new friend. I don't know about you, but having something regular to do that got me and DD out of the house to be with other people kept me sane during those toddler years! Hope you go and have a nice time.

Slight thread diversion, but can someone explain to me why people like to tell children the story about Noah's ark (and have ark toys etc). Maybe it is just me, but a story where the whole world gets drowned isn't very nice.

My older kids go to an lovely group at our evangelical church, It isn't pushy at all and they have been going for 5 years now. They go on camping trips too
The toddler group there is really nice.
I go to the family church services when the kids are involved and have never had anyone try to convert me!!!

Lerato, stories where innocent pigs are eaten by starving wolves, innocent girls are walled up in towers for years, innocent young men are turned into frogs by witches, innocent children are captured by a cannibal, innocent girls are forced into marriage to kings who want them to spin straw to gold and threaten to execute them if they don't manage this - none of those are 'nice'. Children don't like 'nice', they like exciting.

Ah now I would give it a go and I'm an atheist. I send DD2 to Catholic School, as she went to the nursery there and I was disinclined to take her out as she had made friends there.

I like my kids to make their own minds up. DD1 went through a 'Jesus' stage, now she's inclined towards sceptisism (sp?). DD2 is deeply religious at the mo, her greatest punishment to her sister if she upsets her is 'I'm not prayin' for you any more' .

Kids quite often like the idea of Jesus anyway.

Coldtits - I am confused myself as to why the Noah's Ark story bugs me so much. I love the classic nursery tales and hate when they have been disneyfied and have a 'happy ending' eg the wolf surviving. But can explain a dead wolf - I don't shy away from talking about death. But a story where the whole world + all animals etc get drowned because they are bad (and innocent, many of them) doesn't seem like a good parable, to me.

ps - op, I would go to the playgroup. No harm in checking it out.

I would go (lapsed catholic also)

I used to go to one like that and I recommend it to everyone,
they did a little section at the very end about Jesus but to be honest my dcs loved it,
and loved singing the songs with all the actions,
some parents would leave just before this bit

I'm an athiest and I go to a lovely church tots group every week. Its by far the friendliest and least judgy group I have tried.
They do thank jesus before snack time and have the odd bible story or song but not pushy at all and dont seem to mind that I dont go to church.
DS did start singing about loving jesus very loudly once when i was with people who know i am athiest, so slightly embarassing lol but I never said anything - let them wonder!!

So, an update... went to the playgroup. Everyone there was so lovely, really really friendly, unlike other toddler groups I have been to where people tend to just talk to their friends.

It started off ok, just playing/craft etc. Then it was 'circle time' with a little story with a religious kind of theme for the kids about being nice to your friends, and then 2 or 3 religious songs that me and DD didn't know, and finally one rendition of wheels on the bus. So far just about ok I thought.

Then the kids sat at the table for snack time. While the kids were eating there was a bible reading for the adults!! That was a little bit too far our of my comfort zone!

But then afterwards I was chatting to some other mums, again all very lovely, no mention of religion/are you coming to churxh on sunday etc etc

I told the lady I went with it seemed like a nice group but I'm not really religious and she said it's ok, they welcome other faiths and there's no pressure, and a lot of people who go aren't religious. So I'm in 2 minds, I might try it again and see how it goes. I guess I just don't want my 2-year-old to start asking questions about who is God etc.